Woodland JV football will build on success at previous levels

Marcus Luna teaches in the Natomas Unified School District, which as of this school year no longer has its flagship school (Natomas) in the Tri-County Conference.

Tonight he'll make his junior varsity football head coaching debut for Woodland, which figures to be firmly in the mix for TCC glory.

When the Wolves host Dixon at 5:30 p.m. at Community Stadium, they'll do so with an all-sophomore roster led by players who are used to winning. From the Pop Warner level through last year as freshmen they have experienced more success than not. Only a stalled final drive in the red zone against Pioneer prevented what would have been a four-game winning streak to close 2013. The Wolves frosh finished 6-4.

Three current sophomores will start tonight for Woodland's varsity. About 28 others will suit up for Luna, who has coached in the Woodland area since joining forces with Bobby Flores as an assistant at the Pop Warner level five years ago.

"These guys have been working hard. A lot of guys had perfect attendance all through the summer," said Luna, who was impressed with his team's offensive output on Saturday in a scrimmage at Del Campo.

Like its varsity, Woodland's JV offense will operate both under center and out of the shotgun, and will include both power and spread concepts.

The trigger man is quarterback Tyler Stewart, a 6-footer who impresses his coach with his footwork in the pocket. Potential targets for Stewart include Jose Barron Jr., Luis "Chuckie" Rodriguez and tight end Johnathan Tripp.

Barron (5-foot-6 inches, 139 pounds) will also utilize his speed and quickness in the backfield at times. Starters at running back, however, should be Jamie Arias and A.T. Triana, who combine better size with elusiveness. Arias, who Luna says has the strongest arm on the team, will also back up Stewart at quarterback.

On the other side of the ball Luna calls middle linebacker Justin Fields "our quarterback on the field defensively." Luna also likes defensive tackle Jake Campos ("he's a natural two-gap player"), defensive lineman Trevor Catron ("he looks like a man-child out there") and defensive backs Arman Vaziri and Moises Castillo, among others.

Several of the aforementioned players will see action on both sides of the ball. Stewart is one who probably won't; he has enough responsibility under center. But he seems well equipped to handle it.

"When we went to camp this summer, other coaches were talking about him all day," Luna said. "It's his footwork and just his maturity. It's pretty advanced right now."